Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: The Newell-Fonda girls basketball squad celebrates its Class 1A state quarterfinal victory on Wednesday in Des Moines. For more photos, please visit CU.messengernews.net

DES MOINES — Make it 13 straight.

If you are a Class 1A girls state basketball qualifier, when the brackets come out, you better hope you are not paired with Newell-Fonda.

The second-seeded Mustangs 23-2) have now won 13 consecutive quarterfinal games and are 18-4 overall in school history in the first round after Wednesday’s 77-58 victory over St. Ansgar.

“This team means so much and we’ve all grown so much,” said N-F sophomore Ellie Sievers. “This team is so special because we all can grow and find the player we need to at different times.

“Another key feature to great success is our seniors, who can motivate or calm down at the perfect time.”

The Mustangs are in their ninth straight state tournament, where the program has reached seven of the last eight championship games. Their last title came in 2021.

Newell-Fonda used its pesky defense and strong shooting (45.6) from the field to turn back Saint Ansgar (20-5), 77-58 and reach the semis for the 13th time in the last 14 years.

“The bond we all have with each other is unbreakable,” said N-F junior Rylee Hogrefe. “We love to come in and see each other day in and day out.

“It all starts with our seniors. They are the glue. They have experience in all aspects of this game, and help us youngsters settle in and refocus on what we know to do.”

Newell-Fonda held a slim 38-30 lead at the half, but in the second half, the defensive pressure picked up.

“We mixed up our press looks more, which led to some transition opportunities,” said N-F head coach Dick Jungers. “They were jumping into some of the passing lanes, but we were able to adjust.”

The Mustangs forced 32 St. Ansgar turnovers, which turned into 36 points off of the mistakes.

Newell-Fonda recorded 21 steals, which spearheaded the transition offense.

“The big thing is we had good ball movement,” Jungers said. “Our girls look for the extra pass and are good at seeing what’s there.

“We have a motion system where kids can take shots with open looks, or keep the ball moving as they are cutting through the lanes.”

Newell-Fonda controlled every aspect of the contest, making 31-for-68 shots from the floor. It was a balanced scoring attack in a system reliant on such.

Ellie Sievers led the Mustangs with 18 points, including two triples. The sophomore was perfect at the free-throw line in nine tries.

“I think our team was motivated to start out strong,” Ellie Sievers said. “We knew that some of our shots weren’t falling, so instead, we started to ball reverse and penetrate to find better looks.”

Sievers had four rebounds, three assists and two steals.

“Ellie and Rylee stepped up and attacked the defense,” Jungers said. “They are really fun to watch.”

Freshman Quinn Sievers came off the bench to score 17 points, with three rebounds to go along with two assists and two steals.

“This was a great way to start our state run,” said Quinn Sievers. “We knew coming into the second half that we had to apply even more pressure on the opponent and create more opportunities for our team.

“We are known for giving so much support and energy to each other and bringing each other up in tight or exciting situations. That’s how we are able to finish our games each and every night.”

The Mustangs had 28 points off the bench, with Quinn Sievers serving as the guiding force behind the effort.

“Quinn did a great job of getting into the middle on defense,” Jungers said. “She also puts the pressure on defensively.”

Hogrefe added 12 points and four steals.

“Another thing is our community,” Hogrefe said. “We couldn’t play ‘Mustang Basketball’ without the unconditional support from our fans. It means the world to keep rolling with this group.

“We love to play with each other. We are ready to keep grinding for the few days we are here, get to that final goal and bring that big trophy home.”

Senior Jocee Walsh contributed eight rebounds, three assists and five steals to go along with her six points for N-F.

Jacey Johnston led the Saints with 28 points on 8-for-16 shooting. She was 10 of 12 from the line. Lindsay Kruse added 13 points and Quinn Osgood added 11.

The second-seeded Mustangs are back in action on Friday when they face third-seeded Council Bluffs St. Albert (22-3) — a 45-37 winner over Exira-EHK — at 3:15 p.m.

NEWELL-FONDA 77, SAINT ANSGAR 58

Saint Ansgar — Jacey Johnston 8-16 10-12 28, AVa Felk 0-6 0-0 0, Makenna Norby 0-1 2-2 2, Quinn Osgood 4-10 0-0 11, Lindsay Kruse 4-6 5-8 13, Alexis Frein 2-2 0-0 4. Totals: 18-41 17-22 58.

Newell-Fonda — Ellie Sievers 6-18 4-4 18, Mareni Brabec 4-8 0-0 8, Rylee Hogrefe 5-6 1-1 12, Ava Vie 2-6 0-0 5, Jocee Walsh 2-7 2-8 6, Quinn Sievers 7-16 2-2 17, Paige Erickson 0-0 0-0 0, Camryn Puhrmann 1-1 0-0 2, Ella Roberts 4-6 1-2 9. Totals: 31-68 10-17 77.

Quarter scores: NF led 21-18, 38-30, 55-39. Three-point goals — Saint Ansgar 5-19 (Johnston 2-6, Falk 0-6, Norby 0-1, Osgood 3-6); Newell-Fonda 5-20 (E. Sievers 2-8, Brabec 0-2, Hogrefe 1-1, Vie 1-4, Q. Sievers 1-5); Total rebounds: Saint Ansgar 36, Newell-Fonda 29; Assists: SA 8, NF 12; Steals: SA 5, NF 21; Turnovers: SA 32, NF 9; Total fouls: SA 16, NF 20.